Sectional air bag



L v- 1,625,383 I Apr]! 19 2 WHEELQCK SECTIONAL AIR BAG --Fi-1ed Oct. 8, 1925 ,UINVENTOR. A ERBEW A. M/ssw/r.

'A TTQkNEY.

Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES HERBERT K. WHEELOCK, OF AKRON, OHIO.

SECTIONAL AIR nae.

Appliiiation filed October 8, 1925. Serial No. 61,313.

m nally, so that a single air bag may be used with different sized tires without danger of blowing out at the ends. It is also an object of the invention to reinforce the air bag at theends so as to prevent blowing out at the If) beads near the ends of the bag where the pressure plates or molds terminate.

These and other objects will be apparent from the description of the invention and the drawings, but it will be understood that other forms. of the invention may be designed, and such as come within the scope of the invention are intended tobe covered in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings:

-.r Figure'l is a side view of a bag embodying the features of the invention;

.Figul'e 2 is a longitudinal section of the preferred form;

Figure 3 1s a longitudinal-section of a :po modified form;

Figure 4 is an end view of thebag, a portion being removed to show the reinforce- -1nent therein; and

Figure 5 is a detail showing the method of as making the reinforcement for the end of the bag.

Thebag, as shown, is in the usual sectional form, the body 1 of the bag being formed of a heavy rubber composition adapted to withstand the heat of vulcanization.

- Extending over the entire outer surface of the bag is a casing or reinforcement of fabric which is indicated at 2. This is a jacket of square woven fabric that is frictioned and 48 vulcanized with the bag so as to bean integral part thereof.

In order to provide sufficient transverse expansion of the bag to allow it to conform to various sizes of pneumatic tires, the fabric about the outer circumference of the bag is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slits 3 which overlap-about the center of the bag and being arranged in staggered relationship, will permit such expansion without unduly weakening the jacket, it being noted,

however, that these slits do not occur in the region of the bag adjacent the beads.

The outer covering is brought around the ends of the bag and secured beneath washers or plates 4 between'nuts 5 and 7 located inside and outside of the bag and screwed down upon the connections 6, by which steam or air is admitted to the interior of -the bag. To prevent the bag from elongating circumferentially or blowingout at the ends, retainers S are fastened upon the connections (3 at either end of the bag, and a flexible tic member 9 is secured to both of said retainers.

In the preferred 'form of the invention, as shown 1n Figure 2, a heavy cord or wire is tired for the retainer. In the form shown in Figure 3, a chain 10 is used. In either case the retainer is flexible throughout its'entire length so that the tie member or retainer does not in any way prevent the free bending of the bag. In former constructions, attempts have been made to use a. tie member which was soinwhat flexible, but so .far as known to me, no bag has been designed heretofore in which the tie member for the'ends of the bag was flexible throughout its entire length.

Air bags have a tendency to burst or blow out in the region of the bag adjacent,the ends and .for preventing this actionin the bag here shown, the ends are reinforced in the special manner which will be described.

A number of layers of fabric 11 are embedded within the rubber at each end of the bag, these layers being formed from disks of rubberized fabric which are provided with a plurality of tapering slots or recesses 12 which converge toward the center of the disks which form arms 13, so that when the disks are applied to the bag they will fit accurately about the ends without wrinkling. Several of these disks may be employed and they should preferably be of different sizes so that the edges are stepped off as indicated in the drawings.

The air bag as shown and described presents many valuable features and advantages over other forms of bags heretofore manufactured and the invention may be modified by. those skilled in'the art without departing from the essential features and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sectional air bag, an inflatable, segmental body portion formed of (rubber,

a layer of woven fabric vulcanized to the ltl body portion of the bag, the fabric being provided with a plurality of longitudinal slits about its outer circumference, and a flexible tie member extending through the interior of the bag and seemed to the ends of the bag.

In a sectional air bag, an inflatable, segmental body portion formed of rubber, a layer of woven fabric vulanized to the body portion of the bag, the fabric being provided with a plurality of longitudinal, (Werlapping slits, and a tie member which is flexible throughout its entire length extending through the interior of the bag and secured to both ends thereof.

3. A sectional air bag comprising an inflatable body portion composed of rubber, and a jacket about the body portion and vulcanized thereto, the said jacket being formed of woven fabric which is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slits located about the outer circumfcreme of the bag.

4. A sectional air bag comprising an inflatable body portion composed of rubber, and a jacket about the body nortion and vulcanized thereto. the said jacket being formed of woven fabric which is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slits arranged in staggered relation and located about the outer circumference of the bag.

5. Av sectional air bag comprising an infiatable rubber body portion, a woven fabric jacket provided with longitudinal slits about the center of the bag, and reinforcing means comprising a plurality of fabric disks which surround the ends of the bag and extend along its sides toward-the center of the bag.

6. A sectional air bag comprising an inflatable rubber body portion, a woven fabric jacket provided with longitudinal slits about the center of the bag, reinforcing. means comprising a nluralit of fabric disks which surround the ends of the .Jiw' and extend along its sides toward the center of the bag, and a flexible tie member located within the bag and having its ends secured to the ends of the bag.

7. A sectional air bag comprising an ill-- flatable rubber body, a woven fabric jacket about the body and vulcanized thereto, the jacket being provided with a plurality of staggered, overlapping slits, a reinforcement for the ends of the bag consisting of a plurality of woven fabric disks of different sizes embedded within each end of the bag, the disks being provided with a plurality of tapering radial slits which form arms lying along the sides of the bag, a flexible tie member in the interior of the bag, and anchoring means for the ends of the tie member at the ends of the bag so that the tie member prevents longitudinal extension of the bag, but does not prevent bending in any direction so as to'enable the bag to conform to diti'erent sizes and shapes of tires.

8. A sectional air bag conmrising an inflatable body portion which is flexible throughout its entire length, an anchoring device at each end of the bag, and a tie member secured at each end to the anchoring device and extending longitiulinallv through the center of the bag, the tie memher being flexible from end to end 'and throughout its entire length so as not to interfere with the free flexibility of any portion of the ba HERBERT K. WHEELOCK. 

